Conveyer for kilns



June 4, 1935. L. L. LADD & 5

CONVEYER FOR KILNS Filed Jan. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l bzz/672207" wzesea (W 7 405 I Patented June 4, 1935 UNITED S TATES 2,oo3,45o

PATENT OFFICE commun Fort miss. Lester 'L.' Ladd Lockport, n; Application Jasry, sa; No. 706507 3' Clai`ns. (0125#142 This invention relates` to conveyerstor kilns empl'oyed: in flring or baking ceramic was-es, aekjln of this general type being disclosed myformer Patent-No'. 1342 411, dated Januarya26,1932.

In the operation of these. kilns, where the sectional table or' platform directly supporting the wares is rigidly attached to a carriage structure carrying one or more rails which ride on a group of rollers, considerable diftlculty' has been experienced' in the. operation of the conveyer due. to the contraction and expansi'on. of the sectioal table or platform relative to the underlying carriage, causing' lateral straining and distortion of the connections.

The main object of the presenttinventton is t:) provide an improved carriage structure and connections therefron to the table or platform,

whereby the above noted fault may be remedied,

and the expanding and contracting movements of the platform or carriage are not transmitted to the carriage.

One practical form in which the invention may be embodied is illustrated in the accompanyng drawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical fragmentary section through the kiln and conveyer, taken on the line l-I of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail, illustrating a slidable connection between the brace or strut which supports the carrage or platform and one of the annular beams to the lower side of which is connected the rail that rides on the supporting and driving rollers.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the sectional character of the Ware-supporting platform or table.

Referring to the drawings, designates, the brick walls of the furnace whichare builton a concrete base I l formed of floor slabs which in turn are supported substantially at the ground level on plates l 2 that, in turn, rest on angle bars l3. The angle bars l3 in turn are riveted to the upper ends of posts l4, and similarly riveted to the lower ends of the posts I 4 are angle bars l5 that rest on a concrete foundation IS and thus spread the load over a large area of concrete.

The walls o form between them the annular channel or trough through which the conveyer travels. The plates l2 are 'extended inwardly to support shields IT that, with the opposed vertical walls of the slabs ll form channels !8 which are filled with sand or other suitable sealing material to prevent the heat in the upper part of the trough. rrom reaching the underlytng pit !9, in which the bearings and driving machare located;

' Describing now' the sectional annular conveyer en which the wares are deposited priortotheir f -tmderlying thesectional plates 20,. to. the'lower end ot which are. Secured by clips-` 26 and cleats 21 a pair of annular rails 28 that rest and ride on the rollers 29 mounted on shafts 30.

The tables or plates 20 are supported on the beams 25 by inwardly inclined struts 3l, these latter being bolted to lugs 32 on the under side of the plate 20 and at their lower ends formed with eyes or holes 33 that, as best shown in Fig. 2, loosely encircle collars 34 mounted on bolts 35 'extending through the lower portions of the beams 25 and secured against escape bynuts 36 and washers 31.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be observed that the collars 34 are considerably wider than the lower portions of the struts 3| which encircle them, so that the struts 3l may have a considerable inward and outward movement on the collars 34, resulting from expansion and contraction of the plates 20 without imposing any lateral strain on the beams 25. i

Referring to the cleats 21 on which the I-beams 25 rest and to the under side of which therails 28 are Secured, about every fourth one of the cleats 21 is made of sufficient length to span the distance between the two rails 28, as indicated' in Fig. l, so as to tie the rails in parallel relation.

The shafts 39 carrying the rollers 29 are journaled in bearings 38 (Fig. 3) formed as parts of yokes 39, the ends of which rest on shouldered collars 40 that are threaded on screws 4l and locked in vertically adjusted position by upper and lower nuts 42 and 43. The lower ends of the screws 4| are footed in seats 44 formed integral with a base casting 45 that, in turn, rests upon and is bolted to the angle bars l5. Manifestly, by adjusting the collars 40 up or down, the shaft 30 and its rollers 29 can be so adjusted throughout the .entire series of roller supports as to properly engage with and support the rails r thereof.

28 and maintain the conveyer perfectly level. In practice, two diametrically opposed shafts 30 will constitute drive shafts which are driven by suitable motors in the manner indicated in Fig. 5 of my former patent above referred to.

As shown in Fig. 1, one of the rollers 29 is flanged so as to prevent any danger of the rails 28 accidentally riding off their supporting and driving rollers.

The improvement as herein shown is preferably a'double rail system, employing two annular beams 25 rigidly connected and spaced at their bottoms and two rails 28 riding on a pair of rollers 29; but, so far as the feature of providing lost motion or play in a sidews directon between the supporting struts or brackets 3| and the beams 25 to compensate for expa'nsion and contraction of the plates 20 is concerned,a monorail system, such as is shown in my'Patent 1,842,411 might be employed, with the inclin'ed struts or brackets 3l engaging opposite sides The parts are shown in Fig.-. ,1 in the relative positions they assume when the parts are cold. In firing or baking ceramic Ware in these kilns very high temperatures are employed, which give an` appreciable expansion of the sectionalcast 'iron plates 20; and as this expansion occurs, the

supporting brackets or struts sl-can, manifestly, slide bodly outwardly on their supporting collars 34 without creating any bending strain on the brackets or any lateral strain on the annular beams 25.

The structural details maybe more or less varied without departing from the substance of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and hence I reserve all such variations and modications as fall within the spirit and purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A conveyer for kilns, comprising a table movable along a horizontal path, rollers journaled beneath said table, a carriage including twin rails supported on said rollers and twin annular beams mounted on said rails, and depending struts on the under side of said table supported on said beams with Capacity of limited lateral Shift' relatively to said beams under expanding and contracting movements of said table.

2. A conveyer for kilns, comprising a table movable along a horizontal path, rollers journaled beneath said table, a carrage including twin rails supported on said rollers and twin beams mounted on said rails, depending struts on the .under side of said table formed with holes in their lower ends, and laterally projecting supports on the sides of said beams extending 'through the holesiof said struts and of greater length than the thickness of the engaging portions of said struts.,

3. A conveyer for kilns, comprising a table movable along a horizontal path, rollers journaled beneath said table, a carriage including twin rails supported on said rollers and twin beams mounted on said rails, tie-bars connecting and spacing said rails and beams, inwardly inclined depending struts on the under side of said 'table formed with holes in their lower ends, and laterally projecting supports on the sides of said beams extending through the holes of said struts and of greater length than the thickness of the eng'aging portions of said struts.

LESTER L. LADD. 

